District partners with WEA teacher residency to recruit diverse special‑education teachers

The Issaquah School District announced a new partnership with the Washington Education Association (WEA) teacher residency program designed to recruit and train special‑education teachers through a residency pathway.

Donna Hood, assistant superintendent for human resources, said the district applied and was accepted as a partner district. The WEA residency model allows candidates who already hold bachelor’s degrees to be employed as paraprofessionals while they complete a residency and summer institute; the residency culminates in clinical rounds and state licensure in special education without the traditional full‑time unpaid student‑teaching model. Hood said the initial cohort included applicants from outside the district, and roughly half of those candidates identified as staff of color.

Why it matters: Hood and board members said alternative certification pathways reduce financial barriers to entering teaching and tend to increase workforce diversity. The district plans to support resident candidates with stipends and mentor teachers; successful candidates would be eligible to interview for district positions and, if hired, would commit to multi‑year employment expectations under the program terms.

Board reaction: Directors praised the residency program as a recruitment tool for critical‑need positions and as a mechanism to expand staff diversity. Hood described early results as promising: the program brought diverse applicants, two of whom were hired as paraprofessionals and will continue into the residency next year.

Ending: The district will host welcome nights for the new cohort in April and May and said it will monitor outcomes as residents complete the program and move toward licensure.